Popblerd New Release Report 9/18/12: Holy Shit!

I’m not sure what the significance of releasing so many albums on this particular date is, but man it would’ve been nice if we’d had a couple of these a month or so ago when there wasn’t shit out.

If record companies operate under a system of “feast or famine,” well, welcome to one of the biggest fuckin’ feasts you’ve ever seen before in your life. This release date brings forth a veritable cornucopia of new music from acts old and new. Because this release schedule is so damn vast, we’re gonna change our style a little bit and just hit you with 1 or 2 sentence blurbs. Otherwise, you’ll be reading a 1,000 word post on new releases and you won’t have the chance to actually listen to any of this music until Wednesday. So, without further ado (and in alphabetical order,) here are some of this week’s highlights.

Aimee Mann Charmer:Aimee Mann was one of the leaders of the charge for female singer/songwriters in the ’80s as frontperson for ‘Til Tuesday, and then she led the charge again in the ’90s, plotting an independent course and scoring the film Magnolia. Charmer is her latest album of smart, singer/songwriter pop.

Band of Horses Mirage Rock:These tough-looking, beardy dudes have the best harmonies this side of Boyz II Men (they make awesome videos, too.) Their buzz has grown louder with each successive album, and Mirage Rock, their fourth full-length, will hopefully break them through to the big, big time. (listen here)

Ben Folds Five The Sound of The Life of The Mind:Thirteen years after The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Ben and his boys have returned. The music business is different, the political climate is different, but Ben Folds Five are still Ben Folds Five. Expect some pounding of the piano and an “F” bomb or two on this Kickstarter-funded effort. (listen here)

Carly Rae Jepsen Kiss: The Canuck has two songs in the top ten, and “Call Me Maybe” was inescapable all summer. Can she translate all of that into a successful album? Max Martin and LMFAO’s Redfoo are down to assist.

G.O.O.D. Music CompilationCruel Summer: Hard to believe that Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music has been around for almost a decade without an officially released compilation. The oft-delayed Cruel Summer (coming three days before the first day of autumn) features not only Mr. West, but Jay-Z, Big Sean, Pusha T, John Legend, Yaasin Bey (formerly Mos Def,) Q-Tip and a host of hip-hop and R&B luminaries. (listen here)

Grizzly Bear Shields: These guys were buzzing hard two or so years ago, but hipster tastes are fickle. Can they do it again? Hey, it worked for Bon Iver-he got two fucking Grammys! (listen here)

The Killers Battle Born:“Mr. Brightside” is now a distant memory, but then again, so is Sam’s Town. Las Vegas’s Killers have withstood it all, and they’re still around (and people still care!) Battle Born is the latest effort from Brandon Flowers and company.

Michael Jackson Bad 25:It’s been a quarter-century since the King of Pop released his follow up to the biggest selling album of all time, and now Bad gets the deluxe treatment: a 4-disc set containing previously unreleased tracks, as well as the first ever commercial audio release of an MJ solo show. Chamone! (listen here)

Nelly Furtado The Spirit Indestructible: Methinks Miss Furtado may have waited too long between albums. Five years since Loose, and pop music has changed. The Spirit Indestructible, her fourth English-language album, probably won’t be bad (I mean, she is talented) but it probably won’t be successful, considering the fact that single after single has been peeled from it while no traction has been made at all. Whoa, Nelly. Justin Timberlake, wait another year or two and this may be you. Well, probably not, but I want to scare you into making a new album.

P!nk The Truth About Love:When that “Lady Marmalade” remake came out 11 years ago, who’d have thought that P!nk would be the last woman standing? With Mya a forgotten entity, Lil’ Kim having been supplanted by Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott on health-related timeout, and Christina Aguilera judging reality TV, the former Alecia Moore stands strong on top of the charts, with a healthy discography, a recent top ten hit, two Grammy Awards and her sanity (relatively) intact. Holy crap, this is her sixth album!!

There are also new albums from country duo Big & Rich (reuniting after taking time off to do solo records and reality TV,) the Smashing Pumpkins/A Perfect Circle’s James Iha, rap phenomenon Kreayshawn, an all-covers album from Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones, a 25th anniversary edition of INXS‘ classic Kick, and the return of reggae superstar Sean Paul.

Check out Pause and Play for the albums that didn’t make the cut…and believe it or not, there are albums that didn’t make the cut.